allman



(No-Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

S. ALLMAN & E. A. INGI-IAM.

' FRUITPITTBR.

Patented Sept. 15, 1896.

I Int/anion! (No Mo deL) 2'Sh'6ets-Sheet 2.

' S. ALLMAN 85 E. 'A. INGHAM.

FRUIT PITTER Patented Sept. 15, 18916. F

NIT-ED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

sILAs ALLMAN, OF PA'sADENA, AN EDWIN A. .INGI-IAM, or LAMANDA PARK,OALIFORNIA.-

FRUlT-PlTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,702, datedSeptember 15, 18 96. Application filed September 23,1895. Serial No.563,397. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it Duty cancer/1 Be it known that we, SILAs ALLMAN, residingat Pasadena, and EDWIN A. INGHAM, residing at Lam anda Park, Los Angelescounty, State of California, citizens of the United States, haveinvented a certain new and useful Fruitt-Pitter, of which the followingis a specification.

- The object of our invention is to provide a machine for rapidlypitting apricots and other stone fruit and separating the pits from thepulp of the fruit. i It is an object of our invention to provide meanswhereby the pit may be forcibly separated from the two halves of thepulp of the fruit. The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention.

Figure l is a side elevationof our new fruitpitter with parts brokenaway for clearness of illustration. Fig. 2 is an elevation looking atthe left side of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of the machine. Fig. 4 is afragmental detail of the cutter and splitter head. Fig. 5 is acrosssection of the splitter on line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Our newly-invented fruit-pitter comprises a pitter-wheel A, provided atintervals on its rim with slightly-projecting radial fruit-engagingwings or projections a, a cutter b, and splitter Z), mounted uponasuitable spring 0, arranged to hold the cutter and splitter toward thewheel and almost in contact with the fruit-engaging projections a, butto allow the cutter and splitter to be sprung at their tops away fromthe wheel. The spring 0 isvertical and is adj ustably fastened at thebottomof the machine by a seat or block D, which holds the bottom of thespring, and a screwthreaded bolt E and nuts e e are arranged to adjustthe spring toward and from a vertical drawn from the wheel. Thecutter-blade b is almost vertical and extends downward, approaching thewheel from above the horizontal radius of the wheel. It extendsvertically to or below such radius, so that the upper portion of thecutter-blade and the upper portion of the periphery of the wheelconverge toward the horizontalradius of the wheel. The splitter 11 iscurved and extends downward from the lower end of the cutter-blade andunder the wheel and is slightly eccentric thereto, approaching theperiphery of the wheel underneath the wheel. The cutter and splitter areboth mounted on the cutter and splitter head B, which is carried by theupper end of the spring 0. The Gutter Z) is a knifeblade, and its edgeis rounded at its upper end, as at 1, and the cutter-head B is providedwith. a curved groove, as at 2, to direct the fruit toward the wheel andonto the cutterblade. The splitter b is a strong integral piece ofsteelor other suitable metal, having atits mid-line a sharp curved edgefrom which the sloping sides 3 3 of the splitter rapidly diverge at an"angle to each other of about seventy-five degrees to act as an effectivewedge to throw the halves of the fruit apart as soon as the pulp hasbeen severed by the knife. ,The edge of the splitter is practically anextension of the edge of the cutter-blade, and it and the cutter-bladeare arranged in a vertical plane which is at right angles to the axis ofthe pitter-wheel.

4 indicates a small hopper fixed to the top of the splitter and cutterhead B for guiding the fruit down into the rounded way 2.

- 5 indicates a guide fastened to the top of the standard 6 andprojecting into the hop per to assist in directing the fruit into thetop of the hopper.

- F F indicate side boards which are mounted 011 the standard, andtogether with the spring 0 form a chute for conducting the split fruitinto a chute G, which conducts it into a rotating separator H, which isprovided with holes h large enough to allow the pits to drop through andto retain the halves of the pulp. The separator flares from the chute G,so that the halves of the pulpwill be conducted out at the end thereof.

7i indicates a shaft for turning the separator. This shaft is arrangedto be rotated simultaneously with the wheel A.

I indicates a crank fixed to. the axle J of the pitting-wheel A.

K indicates a band-wheel fixed on the axle J.

h indicates a band-wheel fixed on the axle h. A

L indicates a band connecting the wheels K and 72/, so that the rotationof the axle J drives the separator H.

The wheel-axle J and the separator-axle 71/ are both journaled to thestandard 6, and the bolt E is pivoted to the standard by a pivot e,which passes through the arms e of the fork in which the bolt Eterminates, and which arms embrace the opposite sides of the standard 6.

The standard 6 and the block D are mounted upon a suitable base 7, whichsupports the machine and holds the same in its upright position.

The splitter and cutter can be adjusted toward and from the wheel byturning the nuts 6 6', thus to accommodate different-size fruit.

In practical operation the crank I is turned to rotate the wheel Adownward toward the cutter-blade and splitter, and the fruit is droppedsingly into the hopper 4t and falls upon the wheelA, between the spursor blades a, which operate to carry the fruit against the cutter b,which cuts the pulp as it rotates along the blade Z), and the pitengages the blade and forces the spring G away from the wheel, and thisallows the pit to pass onto the splitter b, the sloping sides 3 3 ofwhich press the pulp apart. When the spring 0 is thrown backward awayfrom the wheel, the lower portion of the splitter b is not thrown awayfrom the wheel, but rather closer to it, so that the wings orprojections a will force the pit to separate from the fruit. The powerthus applied is sufficient to split the pit if it catches on the edge ofthe splitter without sliding to one side or the other thereof.

The cutter-head is formed of two blocks 8 8', which are fastenedtogether by bolts 9 9, and the cutter-blade d is clamped between theseblocks. The upper end of the splitter I) is provided with a slot 10 inline with the edge of the splitter, and the lower end of thecutter-blade is fitted in the slot so that the edges of the cutter-bladeand splitter are virtually one continuous edge. The lower end of thesplitter is supported by a bracket 1), which is cast integral with thesplitter and is fastened to the blocks of the cutter-head by screws 11.

Now, having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The fruit-pitter set forth comprising the wheel provided at intervalson its rim with the projecting fruit-en gaging wings; the verticalspring fastened at its lower end; the cutter-b ade fastened to thespring and approaching the rim of the wheel from above its horizontalradius; and the splitter fastened to the spring and extending downwardfrom the cutter and under the wheel.

2. The fruit-pitter set forth comprising the wheel provided at intervalson its rim with the projecting fruit-engaging wings; the vertical springfastened at its lower end; the

cutter-blade fastened to the spring and approaching the rim of the wheelfrom above its horizontal radius; and the curved splitter fastened tothe spring and extending downward from the cutter and under the wheeland arranged eccentric thereto.

3. In afruit-pitter the integral curved splitter Z7 set forth having atits mid-line the sharp curved edge and having the sloping sides 3 3diverging from such edge at an angle to each other of about seventy-fivedegrees.

4. The combination of the base provided with the seat for the spring;the standard mounted on the base; the spring seated in the seat andextending upward therefrom; the bolt pivoted to the standard and passedthrough the spring; the nuts on such bolt to v hold the spring; thewheel journaled to the standard and provided with the fruit-engagingwings; the cutter and splitter-head provided with the groove and mountedon the upper end of the spring; the cutter-blade mounted 011 such headin said groove; the splitter provided with the edge along its midlineand the sloping sides, and extending from the splitter underneath thewheel; and means for rotating the wheel.

5. The cutter-head comprising the cutterhead blocks; the bolts clampingthe blocks together; the splitter having the slot in its upper end andthe bracket fastened to the cutter-head blocks; and the cutter-bladeclamped between the blocks and having its lower end inserted in the slotin the splitter.

6. In a fruit-pitter the combination with the pitter-wheel provided withfruit-engaging wings; of the cutter and splitter head provided with thecutter-blade rigidly fixed thereto and with the splitter rigidly fixedto the head and provided with the edge arranged to form practically anextension of the edge of the cutter-blade and with sloping sides whichdiverge at an angle to each other of about seventy-five degrees; aspring upon which the head is mounted arranged to press the head towardthe pitter-wheel; the hopper; and means for rotating the wheel;substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of the standard; the pitter-wheel provided with theradial wings; means for rotating such wheel; the cutter and splitterhead provided with the splitter and the cutterblade and with the hopperand mounted upon the spring; such spring arranged to force-thecutter-head toward the pitter-wheel; and the guide fastened to thestandard and projecting into the hopper.

SILAS ALLMAN. EDWVIN A. INGI-IAM. lVitnesses:

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, ALFRED I. TOWNSEND.

ICC

